Meffene. It was in the feventh Year of this long War, that the Lacedemonians (having obliged themselves by Oath not to return home, till they had intirely vanquish'd and taken all the Cities of Meffene) fearing left by their long Abfence their Families might perith, fent home fuch of the Soldiers as were not bound by that Oath, that they might propagate Sons and Daughters for them; making no fcruple of proftituting their Wives for the publick Good. Those who were born of this fpurious Conjunction, were called Parthenians; but when they grew up, not being able to endure the Opprobry of fo infamous a Name, they voluntarily banished themselves from Sparta, and under the Conduct of Phalantes eftablished themselves at Tarentum in Italy, after they had chafed out the ancient Inhabitants, THE Meffenians were enrirely vanquifh'd in this War by the Lacedemonians, who reduced them to very great Hardships; their Condition being made little better than that of Slaves: which fo exafperated the Messenians, that after forty Years fuffering, they at length revolted, and gave occafion for a new War, which began A.M.3320 the fourth Year of the 23d Olympiad. The Lacedemonians beirg pufh'd hard by the Meffenians, by Advice of the Oracle of Delphos, fent to Athens for a General, who gave this Charge to Turte the Poet; who notwithstanding the fmall Hopes that were conceived of his warlike Abilities, and the bad Succefs he had in the beginning, proved at length a very brave and fuccefsful General. THE moires de l'Acad. des Infcriptions, tom 2. p. 84. Ariftomenes who fucceeded Euphaes, according to Mr. Boivin, is the fame that Paufanias calleth Ariftodemus. Ibid. THE remaining Part of this Volume, which contains a History of 180 Years, from the Year of the World 3484, to the Year 3592, under the Reigns of fix different Kings of Perfia, confifts chiefly of two parts. The first part, which includes a Hiftory of 90 Years, from the be-: ginning of the Reign of Darius the First to the 42d Year of the Reign of Artaxerxes Longi-. manus, where the Peloponnefian War begins, is divided into four Chapters. THERE never was any Age more fruitful and productive of great Men, and extraordinary E-vents, or that ever difplay'd more fhining Instances of folid Virtue and Courage. Whoever reads the Description that is given by our Author of the celebrated Battles of Marathon, Thermopyla, Artemifia, Salamine, Platea, Micale and Eurymedon, which were fought in this Period, must be convinced of the Truth of this Affertion. It was in these Battles that the greatest Captins of Greece, Miltiades, Leonides, Themiftocles, Ariftides, Cimon, Epaminondas, Paufanias, Pericles, and Thucydides, gave fuch fignal Proofs of their Courage, military Prudence, and Love to their Country, as have ever fince rendred their Names immortal. THE firft Chapter contains the History of Darius the Son of Hyftafpes, and his Expeditions against Babylon, the Scythians, Indians, and against the e eks. As alfo an Account of the great Preparations made by him for this War: It gives likewife an Account of the State of Athens at that time, together with the Characters of the famous Grecian Generals, Miltiades, Themiftocles, and Ariftides; and the shameful Defeat of the Perfian I 3 Army Army at the Battle of Marathon, by the Greeks, under the Conduct of Miltiades, who thereby gain'd his Country much Honour, and himself immortal Glory. OUR Author fays, that Darius being chosen King(after he in conjunction with other fix Perfian Noblemen had killed the Impoftor Smerdis) was no fooner feated upon the Throne, but in order to make his Reign the more fecure, he married the two Daughters of Cyrus, Atoffa and Ariftone. THE first Acts of Sovereignty and Care for his Kingdom that he exercised, was to regulatethe polite and civil Government of the vast Provinces he had under his Dominion, and to put his Army under a good Discipline, and to lay a Foundation for maintaining constantly in pay a ftanding Force: which he brought about, by putting his Finances in good order, and fecuring to himfelf a conftant Revenue from thofe Nations his Predeceffors had conquered; whereas they had contented themselves with the voluntary Presents they received from them, and a certain number of Troops that each Nation was obliged to furnish in time of need. By this wife Policy, Darius freed his natural Subjects the Medes and Perfians from paying any Taxes or Impofitions, and made the whole Weight and Expence of maintaining the civil and military Government fall upon the conquer'd Provinces. The mild, prudent, and equitable Method which he made use of to eftablifh this good Order in the Government, efpecially his manner of impofing Taxes,very well deferve our Notice. Darius (fuppofed to be the fame with that Abafuerus, who is mentioned in the Book of Ether) in the third Year of his Reign, which accor according to the Jewish Reckoning is only the fecond, notwithstanding the continued Oppofition made by the Samaritans, not only confirmed the Edict formerly publish'd by Cyrus in favour of the Jews, but made another, wherein he confirm'd thefe Privileges; and moreover, ordered the Expence made in the Service of the Temple to be defrayed out of the publick Revenue of that Province. THE Judgment given by this Prince in favour of the Jews against Haman, is another Thining Inftance of his Clemency and great Love of Juftice. THE Babylonians having revolted, Darius march'd against them, invefted their City, and befieged it in form during the space of eighteen Months, in which time all the Stratagems which the Art of War furnifheth, were put in execution to make himself Mafter of it, but all in vain; fo that Darius even despairing of taking it, was almoft refolv'd to rise from before it,'till Zopyrus the Son of Megabizes, by one of the most extraordinary Stratagems that ever was invented, put him in poffeffion of it. Darius ordered the Walls of Babylon to be razed and levelled with the very Ground, and three thoufaud of the Inhabitants to be put to death. THE Babylonians, that their Provifions might laft the longer, had in the beginning of this Siege ordered their Wives and Children to be cruelly maffacred; which Lofs Darius ordered to be fupply'd, by fifty thoufand Women fent from the neighbouring Provinces. THUS were partly brought to pafs the Judg-I. xlvii. ments denounced by the Prophets Ifaiah and 20. Jeremiah Fer. 1 51. OUR Author proreeds next, Page 80. to give us an Account of the Expedition made by Darius against the Scythians; but before he enters upon this Narration, makes a Digreffion wherein is given a very agreeable and inftructing Defcription of the Laws, Cuftoms, and Manner of living of that People; and it concludes with the pleafant Picture that Horace gives of them, Lib. 3. Ode 24. Darius made very great Preparations for this Expedition, having affembled a vaft Army and a great Fleet: the only Pretext that he could find to excufe this Attempt against a People who had not given him the leaft Provocation, was, that he defigned it to revenge an Invasion formerly made by the Scythians, about a hundred and twenty Years before that time, into Afia; a Pretext equally frivolous, vain and injuft; the Difficulty, Fruitleffnefs, and Injustice whereof his Brother Artaban fufficiently expofed in that noble Oration of his to Darius, in order to diffuade him from the Undertaking: Which Oration, for the Beauty and noble Simplicity of Thought and Expreffion, and the many useful Truths contained in it, richly deferves to be entirely transcribed. But the Nature of this Design being too confined for things of that length, we must refer our Readers to the Work itself, of which we are giving an Account for this, as well as many other valuable and beautiful Paffages, which we are oblig'd to pass by, THO' Darius feem'd pleas'd with Artaban, and thank'd him for the wholesome Advice he offered him, he did not however think proper to follow it; but marched from Sufa at the head of seven hundred thousand Men, ftraight to the Bof |